PRIVATEERS AND PIRATES 175

innocence, he might count on the Governor's
protection.1

Amid all these rumors there seems good evi-
dence that Kidd landed in Boston in July and had
the effrontery to offer the Governor a gift of jewels
for Lady Bellomont. With the approval of the
Council Bellomont accepted the gift and handed
the gems to a trustee as evidence in the case against
Kidd. The Earl of Bellomont, being a man of
sterling integrity, was naturally sensitive as to his
apparent complicity in the Kidd piracy, refused
any further parley, and sent the buccaneer to
England to stand his trial there.

Kidd was held in London for several months
pending the collection of evidence against him,
and his trial for piracy and the murder of William
Moore finally began at the Old Bailey in the spring
of 1701. From this point we have the original
documents of the state trials and a complete record
of the evidence for and against Kidd. Bellomont
is eliminated as a factor, and it becomes a case of
the Crown against Captain William Kidd and a
number of others, for murder and piracy upon the
high seas.

1 Bellomont was commissioned Governor of Massachusetts and
New Hampshire, as well as of New York.